Retainer for lace hairpieces

ABSTRACT

An elastic band or any type of strap or device attached to a lace wig, lace wig frontal, or any hair piece that has lace in the front, to hold the lace wig, lace wig frontal, or any hair piece that has lace in the front, in its place thereby flattening the lace against the skin without having to use any glue or tape around the hair line.

This application claims priority from Provisional Patent Application No. 62/382,389 filed on Sep. 1, 2016 entitled RETAINER FOR LACE HAIRPIECES.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to Wigs and in particular to lace wigs, a lace wig frontal or any hairpiece that has lace in the front. In greater particularity, the present invention relates to wigs and hairpieces in which hair is mounted to an almost imperceptible lace foundation and then worn on the head. In still further particularity, the present invention relates to an improvement in maintaining such a lace wig in proper position.

BACKGROUND

Lace wigs may be full lace wigs, covering the entire head or a lace front wig, wherein the lace portion of the wig foundation only extends across the front portion of the head. Traditional, lace wigs and lace front wigs have been applied with tape and/or glue applied to the front hairline. A lace wig, when glued in place on the users head, may be worn for days or weeks at a time and maintained similarly to natural hair. However, when users put on a lace wig, lace front wig, or any hair piece that has lace in the front, the user usually has a problem with the lace wig not attaching correctly around the scalp and ear area. Typically a lace wig, lace wig frontal, or any hair piece that has lace in the front, when put on, will have a lift in the lace around the front hairline and near and around the ear. Users also have problems with losing hair and irritated skin due to the use of glue or tape to attach these lace wig, lace wig frontal, or any hair piece that has lace in the front, at the front hair line.

Certain prior art products have included small combs and adjustable straps on the bottom of the neck line. The combs, although keeping the lace wig in place, do not allow the front of the lace wig to sit flat against the scalp due to the increase thickness of the comb attached to the lace wig. The adjustable straps in the back of the lace wig keep the wig tight but only along the circumference of back of the lace wig to the top of the lace wig. Thus, the adjustable straps of the prior art still allow the front of the lace wig to lift slightly against the scalp and still allow lift at the top of the ear.

A need exists to provide a solution with which the user will no longer need to use any chemical products on their skin to hold the lace wig, lace wig frontal, or any hair piece that has lace in the front, in its place.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A general object of the invention is to provide a lace hairpiece that fits the users head better than conventional lace hairpieces. To this end the invention flattens the lace against the skin.

Yet another object of the invention is to hold the lace wig, lace wig frontal, or any hair piece that has lace in the front, in its place without having to use any glue or tape around the hair line.

A further object of the invention is to make the hairpiece look more natural by tightening the lace wig or lace wig frontal around the ear area.

One or more of the above objects can be achieved, at least in part, by providing the elastic band or any type of strap or device, when attached to the lace wig, lace wig frontal, or any hair piece that has lace in the front, will hold the lace wig, lace wig frontal, or any hair piece that has lace in the front, in its place without having to use any glue or tape around the hair line. It flattens the lace against the skin. It will also make it look more natural since it will tighten the lace wig or lace wig frontal around the ear area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings which are appended hereto and which form a portion of this disclosure, it may be seen that:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a prior art front lace wig;

FIG. 2 is bottom view of a lace wig showing my improvement incorporated into the wig;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a front lace wig showing my improvement incorporated into the wig;

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of my improvement as it fits on the users head;

FIG. 5 is a buckle and strap embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 6 is a hook and pile fastener embodiment of my invention; and,

FIG. 7 is a hand tie embodiment of my invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings for a further understanding of the invention, it may be seen in FIG. 1 the traditional lace hairpiece includes a sheer lace base 10 to which human hair or synthetic hair is tied by hand such that the base with the hair attached goes over the scalp or existing hair in a well-known manner. FIG. 1 depicts a lace front or frontal lace hairpiece wherein only the forward part of the head has hair tied to the lace base 10, however, it is to be understood that a full lace wig would include a lace base that extends over substantially the entire scalp. Note in FIG. 1 that the lace base 10 includes a brow edge 11 and opposing temple edges 12, only one of which is shown in FIG. 1, which form the forward and lateral margins of the lace base 10. In the figure, lace base 10 is seamed to a crown portion 14 which is made of a different fabric and to which hair is also tied.

To force the brow edge 12 to lay as flat as possible across the wearer's head I apply tension proximal the temple edges 12 in a direction substantially toward the nape of the neck. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2, 3 & 4, I use an elastic band 16 sewn or detachably affixed to the lace base 10 near the temple edges 12. With the band 16 in place the hairpiece is held securely to the head and brow edge 11 is constrained to lie flat against the head. Further, the band 16 pulls the lace 10 into a more flattened position near the ears of the user. Because the elastic band 16 is detachable, users will have an option to attach this wig with the elastic band only or still use the glue or tape, depending on which way they prefer.

In FIG. 5, I show my tensioning strap as a strap 17 and buckle 18 embodiment, which gives the user flexibility in how tightly they wish the tensioning strap to fit. Note that the location of my tensioning strap is lower on the head that the prior art take up straps that generally provided only tightening ability at the back of the head and did not alleviate the problems solved by my device. It should be understood that the buckle can be replaced with hook and pile fasteners, such as sold under the trademark Velcro®, such that the tensioning strap can be adjusted as shown in FIG. 6.

In FIG. 7, I show a hand tied tensioning strap wherein straps 19 and 21 may be tied by the user to adjustably fit the hairpiece to their head. As with the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, this gives an infinite adjustment in tension and comfort.

My invention is special and unique since it eliminates a number of problems by adding a tensioning band to the current lace wig, lace wig frontal, or any hair piece that has lace in the front, that many use daily. By eliminating the use of glue or tape, users are keeping more of their hair at the scalp line, skin does not get irritated, and the ear area is tighter so it creates a more natural look which is what all lace wig wearers want. Since the elimination of glue and tape, users can easily switch between lace wigs allowing for different looks as they please. It also serves as a solution for many who have already lost hair along their scalp from using glue and tape in the past. Also, since some products will have optional elastic band, this can be used for both. Some people might like the look at elastic band better, but some people might like the glue better so we made the strap attached to the wig, but also something that can be attached or detached.

While in the foregoing specification this invention has been described in relation to certain embodiments thereof, and many details have been put forth for the purpose of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the details described herein can be varied considerably without departing from the basic principles of the invention. 

What I claim is:
 1. In a hairpiece incorporating a portion wherein a base layer of fine lace overlies the front of a user's scalp and hair is hand tied to said base layer of sheer lace to simulate natural hair growth, said frontal portion including at least a brow edge, the improvement comprising a tensioning strap connected to said base layer on either side of said brow edge and dimensioned to extend behind the head to a user's neck nape such that said brow edge is tensioned against the skin of the user and constrained to lay flat against the skin.
 2. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein said tensioning strap is an elastic band.
 3. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein said tensioning strap is a strap and buckle.
 4. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein said tensioning strap comprises two portions joined together by complimentary hook and loop fasteners.
 5. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein said tensioning strap comprises two portions secured to said lace on opposite sides of said brow lace and hand tied at the nape of the users neck.
 6. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein said tensioning strap is detachably connected to said base layer of fine lace on either side of said brow edge.
 7. In a lace wig selected from a full lace wig, a lace frontal wig, or any other wig incorporating a base layer of sheer lace overlying the front of a user's scalp with hair hand tied to said base layer of fine lace to simulate natural hair growth, said base layer including at least a brow edge and bordering temple edges, the improvement comprising a tensioning strap connected to said base layer on either side of said brow edge and dimensioned to extend behind the head to a user's neck nape such that said brow edge is tensioned against the skin of the user and constrained to lay flat against the skin.
 8. The improvement as defined in claim 7 wherein said tensioning strap is an elastic band connected adjacent said temple edges.
 9. The improvement as defined in claim 7 wherein said tensioning strap is a strap and buckle.
 10. The improvement as defined in claim 7 wherein said tensioning strap comprises two portions joined together by complimentary hook and loop fasteners.
 11. The improvement as defined in claim 7 wherein said tensioning strap comprises two portions secured to said lace adjacent opposite temple edges and hand tied at the nape of the users neck.
 12. The improvement as defined in claim 7 wherein said tensioning strap is detachably connected to said base layer of fine lace on either side of said brow edge.
 13. A strap connecting opposing sides of a lace wig in the temple area and passing around the head of the user in the region of the nape of the neck, said strap exerting sufficient tension on said lace wig as to constrain the forward edge of the lace wig to lie flat against the skin of the user. 